Please help identify this little guy: I’ve never seen this little guy hanging around before. Can anyone help identify him/her? I’m in southern Maine. At first I wondered if it was some...

Ugly Hedgehog - Photography Forum

Home Active Topics Newest Pictures Search Login Register ☰

Please help identify this little guy.

Page 1 of 2 next>

Apr 18, 2023 19:48:50 #

Doug Gaudette

I’ve never seen this little guy hanging around before. Can anyone help identify him/her? I’m in southern Maine. At first I wondered if it was some sort of Warbler or Wren, but none of my research panned out. Thanks in advance for helping.
Doug

(Download)

Apr 18, 2023 19:59:14 #

letmedance Loc: Walnut, Ca.

It is a Sparrow.
https://www.audubonva.org/news/the-white-headed-chipping-sparrow

Apr 18, 2023 20:01:53 #

BassmanBruce Loc: Middle of the Mitten

What an awesome little bird!
Never seen anything like it.
I see Letmedance has the ID, cool.

Apr 18, 2023 20:11:31 #

hettmoe Loc: Rural ND

Very nice!

Apr 18, 2023 20:18:32 #

hj Loc: Florida

letmedance wrote:

It is a Sparrow.
https://www.audubonva.org/news/the-white-headed-chipping-sparrow

WOW, I had Amazon Alexa show me pics of sparrows. Never knew there was such a variety. I thought they were all brown without other colors.

Apr 18, 2023 20:26:26 #

MFTVGirl Loc: Baltimore, MD

Very cool capture! I can see why it has an affinity for that daffodil!

Apr 18, 2023 20:27:18 #

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

Doug Gaudette wrote:

This looks like it is a cross breeding of a White-Throated Sparrow with maybe a White-Crowned Sparrow or Golden-Crowned Sparrow. I thought it might be a British or European that got off track, but I cannot find a bird similar from over there. Contacting Cornell University might be able to get you a better answer.

Apr 18, 2023 20:42:20 #

NickGee Loc: Pacific Northwest

I believe letmedance has it right: white-headed chipping sparrow.

Apr 18, 2023 20:49:27 #

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

letmedance wrote:

It is a Sparrow.
https://www.audubonva.org/news/the-white-headed-chipping-sparrow

Thank you, letmedance. This is a leucistic White-Throated Sparrow. I will have to remember your cited article in the future.

Apr 18, 2023 21:10:49 #

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

NickGee wrote:

I believe letmedance has it right: white-headed chipping sparrow.

If you will note both the article and Doug Gaudette's photo, there is a yellow feather coloration right behind the eye in the article (more towards the end of the article) and Doug's photos. That makes this a leucistic White-Throated Sparrow. Chipping sparrows do not have any yellow behind the eye. Not a big difference and proper identification made much harder by leucism. I was not even aware of leucism before letmedance showed us the article. And this from someone who has been birding over fifty years. One never stops learning.

Apr 18, 2023 21:36:16 #

Doug Gaudette

A big thank you to all who have responded. I certainly know much more now than I did before, which will make any additional research that much more focused and hopefully effective. I also noticed the yellow feather coloration which did not seem random but rather by design. Much appreciation to letmedance for getting us off on the right track. Thanks again for all your responses,
Doug

Apr 18, 2023 21:58:20 #